Have your say in my 2020 reader survey – and maybe win a paperback!

I did a reader survey last year and it was so helpful that I'm doing it again! I've put together a short (9-question) survey on SurveyMonkey. It's mainly multiple-choice, and its purpose is to learn more about my readers and people who interact with me on my author social media. I'll take the responses and use …

#NaNoWriMo week 1-and-a-bit: In which I reschedule my schedule…

As you may have guessed from the somewhat haphazard title, this year's NaNoWriMo has been a bit of a scramble. This is what happens when you think you're all set and then some extra tutoring work comes along on the 1st of November... I struggled on with the schedule I'd set myself for a few …

In praise of the library

I don't go to the library as much as I used to. There, I said it. Then again, when I was a kid, going to the library was a Saturday morning ritual. Mum and Dad would see me off at the door to the children's library (it was actually a separate room, how posh) and …

Guest blog: Down The Rabbit Hole

Typical. I haven't done a proper blog post for ages - and when I do get round to one, it's for someone else's blog! I'm this week's guest on The Write Stuff... at Shaz's Book Blog, and you can read my piece on research for writing historical fiction here: Visit Shaz's Book Blog The featured …

I finally read my NaNoWriMo draft and it isn’t terrible!

The title pretty much sums up this blog post! The feeling of growing dread when, having put your NaNoWriMo draft away for a few months, the time comes to bring it out again and actually read the words you wrote last November. The words you hope to make a book from. Will it be a crappy …

Vennsday: On book formats and buyers

It's been ages since I did a Vennsday post, but I had a moment the other day and hey, why not share it. One of the pieces of advice which I've heard over and over again is that if you self-publish, pretty much all your sales will be ebooks. I took this on board and …

Camp NaNoWriMo and everything else: a progress update

Please forgive the radio silence on the blog for the last week and a half; it's been a bit busy! As of 30 June *wipes brow* the draft of #SecretSequel is finished! It turned out a little more serious than I intended, but I'm cautiously pleased with it. I took the risk of letting my …